[Pnews] Freed Puerto Rican Political Prisoner Oscar López Rivera on U.S. Colonialism After Hurricane Maria

[Prisoner News]

https://www.democracynow.org/2017/10/18/freed_puerto_rican_political_prisoner_oscar 



  Freed Puerto Rican Political Prisoner Oscar López Rivera on U.S.
  Colonialism After Hurricane Maria

October 18, 2017
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This is a rush transcript. Copy may not be in its final form.

*JUAN GONZÁLEZ:* We continue our coverage of Puerto Rico, one month 
after Hurricane Maria, as we turn to longtime Puerto Rican independence 
activist Oscar López Rivera, speaking last week in Puerto Rico. Until 
earlier this year, he had been in federal prison for 35 years—much of 
the time in solitary confinement—after he was convicted on federal 
charges of opposing U.S. authority over the island by force. President 
Obama commuted his sentence in January, and he was finally released in May.

*AMY GOODMAN:* This is Oscar López Rivera in the neighborhood of Las 
Monjas in San Juan. He was busy visiting with community members affected 
by Hurricane Maria. He spoke with reporter Nicole Salazar while riding 
in the back of a van.

    *OSCAR LÓPEZ RIVERA:* The overwhelming majority of Puerto Rico is
    completely, completely alienated from the political structure.
    Colonialism is really, really strong and alive in Puerto Rico. And
    the politicians have taken full advantage of that. We have a debt of
    $74 billion, caused primarily by the system and the political
    structure that exists in Puerto Rico.

    So, for me, it has been very—a very devastating experience,
    primarily because one of the first things that I noticed was
    gentrification. We can anticipate that a lot of communities,
    including this one here, will be displaced once it is beautified,
    embellished, in the end, and probably gentrified. And this is very
    close to the ocean. It’s a community with a lot of potential. And
    once they can wipe out the residents, then they can do whatever they
    feel like doing here. But we can see it in Ponce de León with
    Ciudadela, where we can see the buildings, where we can see the
    condominiums, we can see by Ocean Park, we can see every part of
    Puerto Rico. Every part of Puerto Rico along the ocean, we can see
    gentrification taking place. And Vieques and Culebra are probably
    the biggest targets right now.

    So, gentrification means the displacement of Puerto Rico, the
    displacement of the working class in Puerto Rico, and, at the same
    time, foreigners coming into Puerto Rico, especially because the
    foreigners who invest in Puerto Rico are having access to incentives
    that we don’t have access to. So if I buy a house tomorrow, I will
    have to pay taxes on my house. But if a multimillionaire buys a
    condominium for $1.5 million or $2 million, he will not have to pay
    any taxes for 25 or 30 years. So, that’s the difference in terms of
    advantages and disadvantages. And that’s the Puerto Rico that I have
    found, a Puerto Rico with a very, very high unemployment rate and a
    Puerto Rico that seems to be in a desperate state, especially after
    the hurricane.

    *NICOLE SALAZAR:* In a moment of crisis like this, a lot of times
    you see the financial sector moving in, people taking advantage.
    What are your sort of main concerns right now, given the sort of
    desperate situation Puerto Rico is in?

    *OSCAR LÓPEZ RIVERA:* Well, the financial institutions are going to
    move in. You know, they will invest. They will buy out, because the
    property is real cheap right now. A lot of Puerto Ricans are moving
    out. I am surprised at the number of Puerto Ricans that are moving
    out of Puerto Rico still. I thought that, by now, the immigration of
    Puerto Ricans had decreased a little bit. But, no, with a hurricane,
    it has increased even more. So, I see the financial institutions,
    especially the hedge funds, moving into Puerto Rico with all
    the—with all the force, knowing that their investments towards the
    future are going to be multiplied or probably elevated to quantities
    beyond any notion of how capital works.

    *NICOLE SALAZAR:* Can you respond to Donald Trump and the U.S. sort
    of response to the island, the political response?

    *OSCAR LÓPEZ RIVERA:* I think that it’s reflective of the colonizer
    and how the colonizer treats the colonized. He has no sense of
    respect for Puerto Rico. He has demonstrated it clearly already by
    doing what he’s done. It is shameful for me to see a president
    tossing things to people who are suffering so much as Puerto Ricans are.

    Besides that, the way that they came in with FEMA and Homeland
    Security really reflects—really reflects what colonialism is to
    Puerto Ricans. We can see—we can see how FEMA can come into Puerto
    Rico and dictate to Puerto Ricans, “Hey, this is what you have to
    do, this is what you have to do,” and be totally disrespectful. The
    same with Homeland Security. Homeland Security comes in, and they’re
    bearing arms. It’s almost incredible how they treat people, how they
    have been dealing with our situation in Puerto Rico. Rather than
    being sensitive and respectful of the people, they have been totally
    disrespectful of the people. They’re treating us not like citizens,
    but they’re treating us like animals.

    And I think—I think that once we see the results, because we have
    not seen the results from the medical side of Puerto Rico—once we
    see the results, we see that we are being killed—we are being killed
    by neglect. So, I think that it reflects the response of Donald
    Trump and the U.S. government to the crisis in Puerto Rico.

    *NICOLE SALAZAR:* Right now, a majority of the Puerto Rican
    population, according to polls, prefers statehood. What do you sort
    of see as the political trajectory that Puerto Rico is on and where
    you’d like it to go?

    *OSCAR LÓPEZ RIVERA:* Well, I believe, as a Puerto Rican, that the
    majority of Puerto Ricans want to be Puerto Ricans. Once we become
    annexed to the United States or by the United States, that we will
    lose our national identity. I can look at Hawaii as an example of
    people who lose, the Natives who lose their identity. I can look
    into the Native American reservations and see people who lose their
    national identity, their culture, their language, their land. And
    that’s what’s going to happen to Puerto Ricans here.

    I think that there are times—there are times when people think,
    “Well, oh, we are blessed with the relationship with the United
    States.” But that is not the—the end result will not be that, we can
    see. I guarantee you—I can guarantee you this much. If Puerto Rico
    becomes similar to Hawaii—well, the Hawaiian Native population is
    about 9 percent. And if we go to the prisons, the overwhelming
    majority of the prisoners are the Natives. The same thing with
    Alaska. So I can anticipate that Puerto Ricans will not be better
    off by the annexation of the United States of Puerto Rico. I also
    know for a fact that once any nation or any people lose their
    identity, their culture, their language, their way of life, their
    lifestyles, that they are a little dehumanized. So, you know, this
    is the reality that we are facing as Puerto Ricans. I see a big,
    big, big problem if Puerto Rico is to be annexed.

    But I believe—I believe that the overwhelming majority of Puerto
    Rico wants to be Puerto Ricans. I have been in five different states
    in the United States, and I have found young Puerto Ricans in the
    states who really love Puerto Rico, who really want to do something
    for Puerto Rico. And for me, Puerto Rico has to be the promised land
    of all Puerto Ricans, whether we are in the United States or
    wherever we are at. But this has to be the promised land. Annexation
    will never be the answer.

*AMY GOODMAN:* That’s longtime Puerto Rican independent activist Oscar 
López Rivera speaking last week in Puerto Rico. Until earlier this year, 
he had been in federal prison in the U.S. for 35 years, much of that 
time in solitary confinement, after convicted on federal charges of 
opposing U.S. authority over the island by force. President Obama 
commuted his sentence in January, finally released in May. Special 
thanks to reporter Nicole Salazar of Divided Films and Ed Mariota, who 
recorded that footage while filming in Puerto Rico for their series, 
/America Uprising/, which is airing on Refinery29.

-- 
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